


The Two Princes

by genderqueer_turtle



Series: TSS Fantasy AU [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Background Analogical, Brothers, Fantasy AU, Gen, background Roceit, platonic creatitwins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:54:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26257477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genderqueer_turtle/pseuds/genderqueer_turtle
Summary: Brothers Roman and Remus are both princes. Roman is crown prince, the one who is destined to inherit the throne. Remus just wants to run around, practice magic, and forget about his royal life. (prequel to "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight")
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders
Series: TSS Fantasy AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900258
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	The Two Princes

**Author's Note:**

> this is technically a prequel to my fantasy au fic, but it can be read as a stand alone.

The royal family of Sanderia was known for their elegance and grace. They ruled with an air of kindness and gentleness, loved by their people.

Crown prince Roman flourished in his lavish life. He enjoyed wearing the shiny cuff links and crowns, the silk robes, the stuff leather boots. He excelled in his sword fighting classes, paid attention in the regular meetings, and was in general a perfect prince.

His younger brother, Prince Remus, did not seem to enjoy the royal life as much as he did. Remus liked to run around outside, play in the mud, and stay up late to study the moon. He didn't like the feeling of the boots, or the heaviness of the royal jewels. He preferred light and breathable clothes, things he could run in without fear of ruining.

The two brothers were incredibly different, polar opposites. But they didn't let that get in the way of their relationship. The two princes always found a way to enjoy each other's company and play together, without making the other uncomfortable. A favorite game they shared was the Prince and the Dragon, where Roman would save a doll, who was his princess, from the evil dragon, who was played by Remus. Remus was always cooking up new ways that he could try to stop Roman from saving the doll. The two would sword fight with their wooden toys, before Remus would pretend to die a bloody death, collapsing to the ground in a dramatic manner.

As they grew older, Roman became more dedicated to his royal duties. He spent much more studying politics and the affairs of the kingdom, taking every word to heart. He hoped to be a great ruler when he grew older and was appointed king, as great as the many kings before him.

Remus tried his best to stay interested, but the lessons didn't stick in his head. Roman thought that his little brother didn't care to remember because he was never going to use the information unless Roman appointed him a royal ambassador. Remus would rather spend his time outside, talking with people, or studying magic. 

In their teen years, Remus had become fascinated with the magical arts, spending hours pouring over ancient wizards texts and talking to any magic user who was willing to answer his questions. Roman loved listening to his brother ramble about the different types of magic, even if he didn't understand it. He used Remus' magic fascination as a way to grow closer to his brother, to learn about the boy that he grew up with.

* * *

16 year old Roman sat in front of the mirror, preparing himself for the upcoming political meeting his father was hosting. Beside him, also preparing for the meeting, was Roman's best friend, the Elven Prince Patton, a small boy with soft golden curls and a deep tan. Patton could talk his mouth off if he wanted to, and usually he did. Roman chuckled as Patton waved his hands around excitedly, making motions that referred back to what he was saying.

A knock came at the door and a servant slipped into the room.

"Your highnesses," the server said, bowing to the two princes. "Your presence is required in the great hall for the meeting." 

Roman finished securing his cuff link before standing up and following the servant as he led to two royal princes to the great hall. In the great hall, most of the officials and ambassadors from neighboring royal kingdoms sat at a large table. Next to Roman's seat, which was across the table from Patton's seat, sat 15 year old Remus. The younger prince looked downright miserable, dressed in all the clothes he hated, sitting perfectly still as his father rested his hand on his shoulder. Roman walked over to his seat, where his father greeted him warmly before taking his seat at the head of the table.

Roman sat silently, only speaking when someone asked his opinion on something. Don't speak unless spoken to was one of the most important rules that a prince should follow at an important meeting.

The meeting went smoothly, Roman had helped make some important decisions, which was an important job for the crown prince. His father was about to close the meeting when Remus cleared his throat.

"We haven't discussed our immigration laws for oppressed magic users," he said calmly.

The adults stared at the young prince, faces mixed with shock, horror and anger gaped at him. Roman knew that this was a matter close to Remus' heart, but he was shocked that his brother had the gull to speak out of turn.

"Prince Remus," Roman's father began, his face emotionless. "I must ask you to please kindly exit the room while I close this meeting."

Roman winced, knowing that his younger brother was in a lot of trouble. Remus' mouth hung open, clearly shocked that the topic he had brought up was being ignored. He sent a pleading look at Roman, silently begging for his help. But Roman shook his head softly, hoping his brother understood the situation he was in. Remus huffed and threw back his chair, his stuff boots clomping on the tile floor, echoing on the walls until he was out of the great hall.

The King cleared his throat, drawing all attention back to him. He closed the meeting, ignoring the very important topic that Remus had brought up.

The moment the meeting was over, Roman and Patton headed to Remus' chambers. Roman threw open the door, greeted by a mess of things all over the floor. Remus was sitting on his bed, angrily throwing his many pillows across the room. One of them hit Patton in the side of the head, causing him to help in surprise and Remus to stop throwing the pillows.

"What do you want?" Remus asked his older brother.

"To make sure you're okay."

"You saw what happened. I publicly humiliated myself in front of the most important people in the world. And all for nothing! This is serious Roman! These topics need to be addressed! You know I hate politics, so for me to care so deeply about something is a big deal and makes the topic a big deal!"

"I know Remus, but you know you can't speak out of turn."

"To hell with that stupid rule! Outside of our borders, people are dying. For being magical. How is that fair? And we could help them, but instead our borders are closed! We need to open them, we can protect these people Roman! How can Father ignore that?"

Remus was clearly distraught. Roman came and sat on the bed next to his brother, followed by Patton.

"There's nothing we can do Remus. You know how Father gets."

"I can't stay here if that's how it's going to be, not in this palace, not in this city."

Patton's brow furrowed. "What are you saying Remus?"

"I'm leaving, tonight. I'm going to go and study magic, help people. I belong out there, you both know that. I was never cut out for this life."

"I'll help you then," Roman said, earning a surprised look from Remus. "If you truly believe that you should be out there, helping, then I want to help you. I'm nervous, you're only fifteen, but I trust you. Do you have a plan?"

"Actually, I don't have a plan. I was going to wing it," Remus admitted.

"I have a plan!" Patton squeaked. The two brothers turned to the Elvin Prince. "I have a friend, who lives just outside the city. His name's Janus. He studies witchcraft and he can help. Give me a few hours to contact him and we can get you out of this place tonight."

* * *

The wind whispered softly, but the people whispered even more softly. Three teens snuck carefully out of the castle, avoiding any guards who might spot them and force them back in the castle.

"Where's your friend?" Remus asked Patton once they had reached the predetermined meet up spot.

"I believe that I am the friend in question," a smooth and silky voice said, coming from the shadows. A tall teenager appeared, looking around Roman's age. He had wavy yellow flax hair and piercing silver eyes. The moment Roman got a good look at him, he felt himself suck in a sharp breath, his brain going into gay panic mode.

"Janus! Thank you for meeting us!" Patton said. Janus bowed at Patton, before turning and bowing at Roman. His robes, a shimmering yellow color, sparkled in the moonlight. 

"So you're going to get me out of here?" Remus asked. 

"Indeed I am. As long as you still want to get out of here."

Remus bounced up and down happily. "Indeed I do!" 

Roman watched as the stunning witch guided his brother into the forest, away from the castle.

"You sure that he can keep Remus safe?" Roman asked Patton, not taking his eyes off of Janus.

"As long as Remus stays with Janus, he'll be more than safe. I can't say anything about what will happen once Remus goes out on it's own, but that's hardly Janus' fault."

Roman and Patton headed back to the castle, so that they could be back before the sun rose. All the way home, and for a long time after, Roman would think about Janus, the attractive witch he had met that night.

* * *

_**FOUR YEARS LATER** _

His father was dead, the funeral was that night. Roman didn't know how to feel. He had never been close to his father, but he still felt like he should be grieving. His mother was an emotional mess, and Roman tried his best to comfort her. Remus had always been closer to their mother, he was her little fireball. 

Roman wished he had a way of contacting his brother. He had reached out to Janus, which took a lot of effort because Roman is very gay, and asked if he could talk to Remus. But apparently Remus had left two years ago to find work and help people and hadn't come back. 

"Best get ready for the funeral darling," Roman's mother said after she had finished crying for the fifth time that day. "Tomorrow you'll be crowned king and then you'll have a very busy life and kingdom to lead."

Roman was a mixture of nerves and excitement at the idea of being king. On one hand, it's what he had been dreaming of and working towards his entire life. But on the other hand, it was a lot of responsibility.

Roman went and began preparing for the funeral. As he was adjusting his collar, he heard a knock on his door. Assuming it was Patton, he called "come in."

But the person who walked through his door was not his best friend, but his little brother. Roman jumped and threw himself at Remus, engulfing the smaller boy in a hug. Remus hugged him back excitedly.

Roman stepped back and held his 19 year old brother at arm's length, looking him over.

Remus had grown a mustache, his hair had artificial white streaks running through it, giving him a wild look. His clothes were simple and loose, with lots of dark green and black. He had a belt with animal skulls hanging from it and a large wooden staff hung from a strap on Remus' back.

"You've changed so much," Roman commented.

"You've barely changed at all," Remus replied. It was true, Roman had barely changed. He had gained a lot of muscle, but other than that, he looked like the teen who had watched his baby brother sneak away into the forest.

"I can't believe you're here!" Roman said, pulling Remus into another hug. Remus chuckled.

"I couldn't miss my big brother's coronation!"

"That's tomorrow. Tonight is the funeral."

Remus groaned. "I was hoping that I'd miss the funeral."

Roman gasped. "You don't mean that."

"I do and I'm not getting into an argument on why I should care about Dad." Roman sighed, knowing that Remus' relationship with their father was worse than Roman's relationship with the man.

"You can skip the funeral if you really want," Roman offered.

"Nah, I'm here, I might as well attend. I'll just have to inform my travel partner."

Roman's eyebrow shot up. "Travel partner?"

"Yeah! Janus has a friend, a witch who grew up with him. He came with me when I decided to start traveling. He's a good kid, a whole year younger than me. I was going to bring him the coronation if he was up to it. He's visiting Janus right now."

"What's his name?" Roman asked.

"Virgil. He's awesome."

"He sounds lovely. We should probably get going so that you can say hello to Mother before the funeral."

"I've missed Mom so much!" Remus said, leading the way out the door. Roman took one more second to finish fixing his collar before following his brother.

* * *

The funeral passed without any drama. The next day, the castle was full of people rushing about, finishing last minute details so that the coronation was perfect. Roman was being attended by several servants whose job was to make sure he looked perfect. Remus was nowhere to be found within the castle walls. Roman wondered where his brother was, if he had left before the coronation. With only half an hour to go before Roman was officially king, his insecurities were growing stronger. 

“Romano!” A shout echoed through the hallways that could only belong to Remus. Roman let out a sigh of relief before having a servant bring Remus to him. Remus sauntered dramatically into the room, followed by a smaller boy that Roman could only assume was Virgil. 

Virgil seemed to be trying to hide in his shimmering black and purple robes, clearly uncomfortable. He had dark bangs that fell over his face, with purple highlights throughout his hair. On his shoulder rested a rather large spider, but that didn’t seem to bother the boy in the slightest. 

“This is my friend that I mentioned yesterday, Virgil!” Remus introduced the witch to his brother, grabbing his friend’s hand. Virgil introduced himself, relaxing a little as he continued to cling to Remus. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Virgil! You’re welcome to stay here at the castle as long as you plan to stay in the city.” Virgil nodded and asked if he could be excused from the reunion. When he was obliged, he headed to the gardens just outside of Roman’s room.

“So, are you two dating?” Roman asked. “He seemed practically glued to your side.” 

“Us?” Remus looked surprised, as if the thought had never occurred to him. “We’re not together. He has a boyfriend, they’re adorable together, but I’m not the boyfriend. Virgil just has a lot of anxiety and doesn’t like being forced into new things. He’s pretty good at magic and is completely willing to fight someone if they hurt someone else, but when it comes to himself, he’s hopeless.” 

“I see.” 

“So, is my big brother ready to become king of an entire kingdom?” Remus asked, leaning against the wall. Roman opened his mouth to answer, to admit that he was a bit insecure about his ability to rule, but a servant came and interrupted their conversation. 

“I apologize to your highnesses, but we must finish preparing. The coronation starts in approximately ten minutes and a king must not be late.” Roman nodded and gave an apologetic look to Remus, who just shrugged his shoulders in return and walked out to the gardens to wait with Virgil.

* * *

The music was loud and almost heavenly as Roman walked down the aisle towards the stand where the crowning ceremony was to begin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother standing next to his brother, and even his brother’s friend. He reminded himself to take deep breaths and look as regal as possible. 

He knelt at the stand, where a priest stood above him. He recited the traditional vows of Sanderia kings. Promises of protecting his people, of doing what is best for the kingdom were said, Roman taking every single syllable to heart. He wanted to be a great king, greater than his father had ever been. Maybe even the greatest this kingdom had ever seen. In his heart, he knew that he would lay down his life to protect his people, and he hoped that he could do everything he promised them, hoped that he lived up to their expectations for him. 

Roman felt the crown be placed on his head and realized how heavy this symbol was. It was a burden to wear, just like it was a burden to lead. Roman shifted slightly so that he could balance the crown on his head before turning to face all of the on-lookers. Thousands of people looked up at him, smiled and cheered for him. Roman smiled, gathering confidence from their shouts and cheers. 

* * *

A party at the palace was traditional for after a coronation, and Roman was not going to be the one to break that tradition. The sound of dancing and feasting echoed through the hallways. Roman greeted every guest who walked through the door to the great hall, smiled to hundreds of faces, some important ambassadors, others wealthy citizens. 

“Come sit with your family darling,” his mother called, motioning him to where Remus and Virgil were sitting with her. Roman did as he was told, sighing as he sat on the cushioned seat, tired from standing for so long. 

“You looked great up there Ro!” Remus said, tearing into a chicken leg with his teeth. Virgil agreed. Roman noticed that Virgil had slowly begun to be more vocal, chatting with Roman’s mother, laughing loudly at a joke Remus told. He would still become near silent when a new person came up to talk to the entire table, but otherwise he seemed comfortable. 

“Remus, do you plan to stay with your family now that Father is gone?” Roman asked his younger brother. Remus stopped laughing and joking around and became very quiet, a strange thing for the young prince. 

“No, I don’t.” 

Their mother looked devastated. “But Remus sweetie, we’re your family. You’re a prince, you belong here.” 

“I belong out there. With Virgil and Janus and all the other magic users. I’ve found a life that I really enjoy, and I can do more good out there.” 

“I’m king now, I can change the laws about immigration.” 

“Then do it. But I can’t stay here, for the same reason I left in the first place. I don’t belong here, this isn’t my style and it felt like I was dying. Look, you guys are my family, but I’ve found another family as well, of people like me. I can’t leave them. I promise to come back, but I can’t live here.” 

Silence fell on the table. Roman’s mother quietly got up and left the party, not saying a word to either of her sons. Virgil fiddled awkwardly with his food as Remus stared down Roman. 

Roman nodded. “I can respect that. And I promise that the first thing I will do as king is change the immigration laws. That way you can stop illegally smuggling people in the country.” 

Remus relaxed, and smiled. “Thank you Roman.” 

“Anything for my little brother. Besides, it’s something that needs to be done.” 

“I would also like to denounce my title as prince.” 

Roman’s heart broke to hear that, but he understood why Remus wanted that. “If that’s really what you want, consider it done.” 

Remus got up and hugged his brother, smiling like an idiot the entire time. 

Virgil tapped on his shoulder. “We’re supposed to head out tonight. We’re meeting Logan and Janus at the woods before we head out, remember?” Remus nodded. Roman perked up when he heard Janus mentioned. 

“Might I come with you two? To see you off?” he asked. Remus wholeheartedly said that would be nice and Virgil nodded slightly. 

The three finished their food and headed out of the great hall, letting the guests continue to eat, drink, and dance. The two magic users quickly grabbed their bags and the three rode to the edge of the forest, the same place Roman watched his brother leave four years ago. 

Janus and another person were waiting for them when they got there. Virgil threw himself into the other person’s arms, giving him a quick kiss. Janus smiled up at Roman, who was still seated on his horse. 

“Your highness,” he said, bowing. Roman turned a bright shade of red. 

“The crown is a nice look on you, your majesty.” Roman cleared his throat, hoping his blush wasn’t too visible in the darkness. He couldn’t help but drink up Janus’ good looks, the shimmering golden and black colors of his robes, the snake that wrapped around his arm, the smile that gave a confident appearance. 

Remus interrupted Roman’s gay panic. “Well brother, I guess this is where we say goodbye for now!” 

“For the second time,” Roman muttered under his breath. No one heard him.

Remus and Virgil both turned to Roman, bowing to the King. He awkwardly nodded to them, unsure of how to respond exactly. 

The other boy, Logan, bowed to Roman from where he stood by his horse. Janus came close and bowed dramatically. As he rose, his hand brushed against Roman’s. Roman’s hand felt like it was on fire, but a good fire. He cleared his throat again. 

“I hope to see you soon Remus. And your friends, all of you, are welcome to come to stay at the palace whenever you may be in the city.” Janus nodded, clearly remembering this invitation. 

Roman watched for a second time as his brother followed Janus and the others into the forest, leaving behind the life he had grown up in. Roman waited until he couldn’t see them through the trees before turning around and heading back towards the castle, where his new life as king awaited him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody!  
> I loved my fantasy au world so much that i decided to make it a series. All of the works will be written so that you can read them as a stand alone, but they all take place in the same universe and timeline.  
> I wanted to explore Roman and Remus' relationship and why Remus doesn't live with his royal family. I like the relationship the two brothers had in the first part of this au and wanted to play with that a little more, which turned into this fic. It was a lot of fun to write, I liked writing Remus as a softer, more caring person, but still letting him keep his chaotic energy. I do have plans for a fic focusing on his adventures during those four years he was gone.  
> Anyways, thank you so much for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it! 😊  
> Much love and gratitude,  
> Turtle


End file.
